Learning objectives
The aim of the course is to introduce material fundamental for understanding the history of our own species, Homo sapiens, framed within an evolutionary context.
By the end of the course the student will be able to provide a description of the evolutionary processes related to
a) the morphological and behavioural variation present in different groups of primates;
b) the main steps in the evolutionary history of our species;
c) the variability present in modern human populations.
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
Primates: evolution and diversity, adaptations, reproductive strategies.
The Human Lineage: human-chimp comparison, early hominins, australopithecines, the genus Homo, Homo sapiens and contemporaneous hominin species
Modern humans: origins, distribution, variability, adaptations.
Full programme
Primates: evolution and diversity, adaptations, reproductive strategies.
The Human Lineage: human-chimp comparison, early hominins, australopithecines, the genus Homo, Homo sapiens and contemporaneous hominin species
Modern humans: origins, distribution, variability, adaptations.
Bibliography
Recommended Texts:
Boyd& Silk, 2018 How Humans Evolved Norton 8th Edition
Stanford, Allen Anton 2009 Biological Anthropology Pearson International 2nd Edition
In relation to primates and fossils, there are two publications in Italian that provide a general introduction to the material that will be discussed in the lectures:
Manzi, 2001 Scimmie Il Mulino Manzi, 2018 Il grande racconto dell'evoluzione umana Il Mulino
Students are invited to refer to the slides used during the lectures
Teaching methods
The course is based on lectures. To facilitate the understanding of the course content, videos will be used to introduce specific material, In addition, casts of fossils and extant species will be shown during lectures. Students will be invited to answer some questions during lectures for self-evaluation.
Assessment methods and criteria
The final evaluation will be in the form of a series of multiple choice questions
Other information
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